164Driving and operating
■ The engine temperature is too low.
■ The charging level of the vehicle battery is below a defined level.
■ The brake vacuum is not sufficient.
■ The vehicle is driven at least at walking speed.
■ The climate control system requests an engine start.
■ The air conditioning is manually switched on.
If the bonnet is not fully closed, a warning message is displayed in the
DIC.
If an electric accessory, e.g. a
portable CD player, is connected to
the power outlet, a brief power drop
during restart might be noticeable.
Parking9 Warning
■ Do not park the vehicle on an
easily ignitable surface. The
high temperature of the exhaust system could ignite the surface.
■ Always apply the parking brake.
Activate the manual parking
brake without pressing the
release button. Apply as firmly
as possible on a downhill slope
or uphill slope. Depress foot
brake at the same time to
reduce operating force.
For vehicles with electric
parking brake, pull switch m for
approx. one second.
The electric parking brake is
applied when control indicator
m illuminates 3 113.
■ Switch off the engine. ■ If the vehicle is on a level surface or uphill slope, engage
first gear or set the selector lever
to position P before removing
the ignition key. On an uphill
slope, turn the front wheels
away from the kerb.
If the vehicle is on a downhill
slope, engage reverse gear or
set the selector lever to position P before removing the ignitionkey. Turn the front wheels
towards the kerb.
■ Close the windows and the sunroof.
■ Remove the ignition key. Turn the steering wheel until the
steering wheel lock is felt to
engage.
For vehicles with automatic
transmission, the key can only
be removed when the selector
lever is in position P.
■ Lock the vehicle.
■ Activate the anti-theft alarm system.
■ The engine cooling fans may run after the engine has been switched
off 3 224.
Caution
After running at high engine
speeds or with high engine loads,
operate the engine briefly at a low load or run in neutral for
166Driving and operating
full continue driving or warning
code 55 appears in the Driver
Information Centre (DIC).
% illuminates when diesel particle
filter is full. Start cleaning process as
soon as possible.
% flashes when diesel particle filter
has reached the maximum filling
level. Start cleaning process
immediately to avoid damage to the
engine.
Cleaning process
To activate cleaning process,
continue driving, keep engine speed
above 2000 revolutions per minute.
Shift down if necessary. Diesel
particle filter cleaning is then started.
If control indicator g illuminates
additionally, cleaning is not possible,
seek the assistance of a workshop.Caution
If the cleaning process is
interrupted, there is a risk of
provoking severe engine damage.
Cleaning takes place quickest at high engine speeds and loads.
The control indicator % extinguishes
as soon as the self-cleaning
operation is complete.
Catalytic converter
The catalytic converter reduces the
amount of harmful substances in the
exhaust gases.Caution
Fuel grades other than those listed on pages 3 210, 3 292 could
damage the catalytic converter or
electronic components.
Unburnt petrol will overheat and
damage the catalytic converter.
Therefore avoid excessive use of the starter, running the fuel tank
dry and starting the engine by
pushing or towing.
In the event of misfiring, uneven
engine running, a reduction in engine performance or other unusual
problems, have the cause of the fault
rectified by a workshop as soon as
possible. In an emergency, driving
can be continued for a short period,
keeping vehicle speed and engine
speed low.
172Driving and operating
Fault9Warning
If there is a fault in the ABS, the
wheels may be liable to lock due
to braking that is heavier than
normal. The advantages of ABS are no longer available. During
hard braking, the vehicle can no longer be steered and may
swerve.
Have the cause of the fault remedied
by a workshop.
Parking brake
Manual parking brake9 Warning
Always apply parking brake firmly
without operating the release
button, and apply as firmly as
possible on a downhill or uphill
slope.
To release the parking brake, pull
the lever up slightly, press the
release button and fully lower the
lever.
To reduce the operating forces of
the parking brake, depress the
foot brake at the same time.
Control indicator R 3 113.
Electric parking brake
Applying when vehicle is stationary
9 Warning
Pull switch m for approx.
one second, the electric parking
brake operates automatically with
174Driving and operatingHill start assistThe system helps prevent unintendedmovement when driving away on
inclines.
When releasing the foot brake after
stopping on an incline, the brakes
remain on for a further two seconds.
The brakes release automatically as
soon as the vehicle begins to
accelerate.
The hill start assist is not active during
an Autostop.Ride control systems
Traction Control system
The Traction Control system (TC) is a component of the Electronic Stability
Control (ESC) 3 175.
TC improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip, by
preventing the drive wheels from spinning.
As soon as the drive wheels starts to
spin, engine output is reduced and
the wheel spinning the most is braked
individually. This considerably
improves the driving stability of the
vehicle on slippery road surfaces.
TC is operational after each engine
start as soon as the control indicator
b extinguishes.
When TC operates b flashes.9 Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 115.
Deactivation
TC can be switched off when spinning of drive wheels is required:
Driving and operating175
press b briefly to deactivate TC, k
illuminates. Deactivation is displayed
as status message in the Driver
Information Centre (DIC).
TC is reactivated by pressing b
again.
TC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Electronic Stability Control Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip. It also
prevents the drive wheels from
spinning. ESC operates in
combination with the Traction Control system (TC) 3 174.
As soon as the vehicle starts to
swerve (understeer/oversteer),
engine output is reduced and the
wheels are braked individually. This
considerably improves the driving
stability of the vehicle on slippery road
surfaces.ESC is operational after each engine
start as soon as the control indicator
b extinguishes.
When ESC operates b flashes.9 Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 115.
Deactivation
For a more sporty behaviour ESC and
TC can be deactivated separately:
■ Press b briefly: only Traction
control system is inactive, ESC
remains active, k illuminates.
■ Hold b pressed for min.
5 seconds: TC and ESC are
deactivated, k and n illuminate.
Additionally the selected mode is
displayed as status message in the
Driver Information Centre (DIC).
If the vehicle comes into threshold
with deactivated ESP, the system will reactivate ESP for the time duration
of the threshold, when the brake
pedal is depressed once.
ESC is reactivated by pressing b
again. If the TC system was
previously disabled, both TC and
ESC are reactivated.
ESC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Driving and operating179
Personalised settings in the VXR
mode
The driver can select the functions of
the VXR mode when VXR is pressed.
These settings can be changed in the Settings menu in the Info-Display.
Vehicle personalisation 3 131.Driver assistance
systems9 Warning
Driver assistance systems are
developed to support the driver
and not to replace the driver's
attention.
The driver accepts full
responsibility when driving the
vehicle.
When using driver assistance
systems, always take care
regarding the current traffic
situation.
Cruise control
The Cruise control can store and
maintain speeds of approx. 20 to
120 mph. Deviations from the stored
speeds may occur when driving uphill or downhill.
For safety reasons, the cruise controlcannot be activated until the foot
brake has been operated once.
Activating in first gear is not possible.
Do not use the cruise control if it is not advisable to maintain a constant
speed.
With automatic transmission, only
activate cruise control in automatic
mode.
Control indicator m 3 118.
Switching on Press m; control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates white.
Driving and operating183
Adaptive cruise control uses a radar
sensor to detect the vehicles ahead.
If no vehicle is detected in the driving path, the adaptive cruise control will
behave like a traditional cruise
control.
For safety reasons, the system
cannot be activated before the brake
pedal has been depressed once
since switching on ignition. Activation
in first gear is not possible.
Adaptive cruise control is mainly
advised to be used on long straight
roads, e.g. highways or country roads
with steady traffic. Do not use the
system if it is not advisable to
maintain a constant speed.
Control indicator A 3 118, m 3 118.
9 Warning
The complete driver attention is
always required while driving with adaptive cruise control. The driver stays fully in control of the vehicle
because the brake pedal, the
accelerator pedal and the cancel
switch have priority over any
adaptive cruise control operation.
Switching on
Press C to switch on adaptive cruise
control. The control indicator m
illuminates white.
Activation by setting the speed
Adaptive cruise control can be
activated between 31 mph and
112 mph.
Accelerate to the desired speed and
turn thumb wheel to SET/-, the
current speed is stored and
maintained. Control indicator m
illuminates green.
The adaptive cruise control symbol,
the following distance setting and set speed are indicated in the top line ofthe Driver Information Centre (DIC).
184Driving and operating
The accelerator pedal can be
released. Adaptive cruise control
remains activated while gearshifting.
Overriding set speed It is always possible to drive faster
than the selected set speed by
depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the vehicle returns to the
desired distance if a slower vehicle is
ahead. Otherwise it returns to the
stored speed.
Once the system is activated,
adaptive cruise control decelerates or
brakes if it detects a vehicle ahead,
which is slower or closer than the
desired following distance.9 Warning
Accelerating by the driver
deactivates automatic braking by
the system. This is indicated as a
pop-up warning in the Driver
Information Centre (DIC).
Increase speed
With adaptive cruise control active,
hold thumb wheel turned to RES/+:
speed increases continuously in large increments, or activate repeatedly
RES/+ : speed increases in small
increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive
cruise control active much faster than
the desired speed, e.g. after
depressing the accelerator pedal,
then the current speed can be stored
and maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Reduce speed
With adaptive cruise control active, hold thumb wheel turned to SET/-:
speed decreases continuously in
large increments, or activate
repeatedly SET/-: speed decreases in
small increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive
cruise control active much slower
than the desired speed, e.g. because
of a slower vehicle ahead, then thecurrent speed can be stored and
maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Resume stored speed
If the system is switched on but
inactive, then turn thumb wheel to
RES/+ at a speed above 31 mph to
resume the stored speed.
Setting the following distance When adaptive cruise control detects
a slower moving vehicle in the driving path, it will adjust the vehicle speed to
maintain the following distance
selected by the driver.
The following distance can be set to
near, medium or far.